Broken Past
by Megami no Nekura
Summary: After a tragic accident, an old friend of Shuichi's has returned. Along with her comes a mix of confusion and broken emotions. What'll happen between Shuichi and Yuki? And what surprise does she hold in store for everyone?
1. Prologue

~ Note: All flames will be donated to Nicolaya's FBSA (The _Flaming Bamboo Stick Association for Poor Pyros_) ~   
Also take notice that this is a fanfiction, where I have decided to bring in my own characters (only two of them). And there will be translations for the Japanese I use at the end of this fic. 

Prologue 

------------------- 

Shuichi Shindou shuddered slightly as he walked through the bustling hallways of one of the local hospitals. He didn't like being here. He hated being in a hospital. Even being in a doctor's office gave him the willies. There was something creepy about places like these. The stench of illness, horror and death and blood stained these wall. There was no real scent, of course, but he still didn't trust what they had witnessed. 

"Shuichi, do you know what's going on?" 

"Huh?" 

Shuichi turned around as he became re-aware that Hiroshi Nakano, his best friend and fellow member of Bad Luck, was walking behind him. He shook his head and looked to the ground uneasily. 

"I'm not sure, exactly... but I think it's about Katsui." 

"She was really upset about us performing there, against her wishes," Hiroshi commented quietly. He looked up to the ceiling, arms crossed lightly as he contemplated what might have happened. "It was also stormy out." 

"Don't talk like that, Hiro!" Shuichi snapped. He could feel millions of tears rush to his eyes. He then began again, his voice rising quickly, "Koneko-chan's(1) a good person! Bad things like that don't happen to innocent people! Not like that! And besides, we just signed on with NG! We can't lose her now! She was so happy! It's her dream! Our dream! To make Bad Luck reach the top! To be like Nittle Grasper! That's our dream! Nothing bad can happen to her!" 

He stopped screeching, quickly becoming aware that almost everyone in the hall and nearby rooms had paused what they were doing to find out what the commotion was. He felt himself blush a deep shade of red and he collapsed to the floor defeatedly. Everyone who had been watching him quickly had gone back to their own business. Hiroshi knelt down and wrapped his strong arms around the very shaken Suichi. 

"I shouldn't have lied to her," Shuichi whimpered, leaning his head upon Hiroshi's chest lightly. Hiroshi rubbed his back softly to calm him. Tears freely streamed down his cheeks and soaked into Hiroshi's shirt. 

"It's not fair! I don't want anything bad to happen to my Kone-chan! Not now! Not when we're all so close!" 

"You know, Shuichi, you've called Kat by three names in ten minutes. You should really pick only one to call her," Hiroshi suggested. 

"Huh?" Shuichi looked up, confused. 

"Yeah. One cute little nickname for her." Hiroshi stopped his joke when his eyes connected with Shuichi's and he noticed the death glare. "C'mon now, Shuichi. I doubt it's anything too serious. We don't even know if it's Kat, do we? Good things happen to good people, not bad things, right?" 

He moved his hands to cup Shuichi's face and leaned closer. Shuichi could feel himself blush once again as Hiroshi's tongue ran up his face, licking his tears away. 

"Really now! This is a hospital!" a woman whom was passing by declared loudly. Shuichi blushed a deeper shade but the comment didn't seem to faze Hiroshi. 

"You promise that Katsui's okay?" Shuichi asked, sniffling. 

Hiroshi gave him a grim smile. It wasn't the most promising gesture. 

"We'll see what it is when we get there," Hiroshi said softly. 

Neither of them knew for sure what had happened, but they feared for the worst. Only Hiroshi did a better job of hiding it than Shuichi did. Katsui had left the club in a rage. 

Because they had lied to her. 

"Let's get going and find out what all this is about." 

With a small chuckle Hiroshi helped Shuichi to his feet and held the already distraught boy close to his body. Shuichi was so easily excitable it was almost insanity. They didn't know for sure if it really was Katsui laying in a hospital bed. The odds were in favor, though. The storm, her rage, she liked to drive near the cliffs. It would be easy for her to lose control of the car. 

"Shindou-senpai!(2)" a high-pitched shriek echoed through the noisy hallway. This time only a few people stopped to find out what was going on. "Shindou-senpai! It's bad! Really, really bad, Shindou-senpai! Shindou-senpai!!" 

"Nani?!(3)" 

Shuichi turned around just in time to see a mass of young teen leap at him. Arms wrapped around his neck and the warmth of a body pressed against him were the first things he felt as he watched the girl with wide, shocked eyes. He sighed havily and placed his hands on her shoulders. Her body shuddered and he could hear her sobbing softly. 

Hiroshi glanced over Shuichi's shoulder and at the girl. She was fifteen, with blue hair that had been dyed white and pink at the tips; her eyes were a soft lavender. She wore a dark purple top and black jeans with strapped sandals. She also had a few freckles on her cheeks. 

Shuichi felt fresh tears rush to his eyes again. She was crying; what ever it was, it had to be bad. 

"Hey, Hikaru-chan," Hiroshi called her softly. "Dou shita no?(4)" 

"Nakano-san(5)," she whimpered 

She sniffled and looking up at them. Suichi moved his arms to wrap them around her waist. She was just like her older sister, especially when it came to looks. 

"Onei-chan(6) got into a car accident and they think she might not wake up!" she wailed. 

"Nani?!" Suichi gasped, gaping at her. 

"A coma?" Hiroshi breathed. He shook his head in disbelief and crossed his arms. "That... That's... A coma?" 

Shuichi broke down, holding Hikaru close to him. She was the next best thing to Katsui. Both of them, Hikaru and Shuichi, were crying now. Hiroshi numbly wrapped his arms around them, comforting both. 

-- * -- * -- * -- 

"Honto ni sumimasen. There's nothing we can do for her now," the doctor who had been treating Katsui said softly, shuffling through numerous files. "In order to save her sight in her right eye we had to remove the left. It was a rather bad crash, so she's pretty lucky to come out with nothing more than a large gash on the left side of her face, and to only lose her eye. She could have lost a limb, or worse, her life." 

"Nani?!" Shuichi growled. "How could you say that! That's not lucky!" 

Hikaru grasped Shuichi's arm, crying once again. Hiroshi stood a few feet from them, leaning against a wall and looking somewhat indifferent. Shuichi tugged himself out of Hikaru's grasp and walked towards Katsui's room. 

The doctor sighed and walked away. Hiroshi walked up to Hikaru slowly, and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She seemed to be in a bit of a daze, and didn't really react. She just cried. 

-- * -- * -- * -- 

"Kone-chan!" Shuichi cried as he burst into the room. He looked to the shocked faces of her parents. "Katsui... is... She's..." 

Katsui's mother's eyes were red and puffy from crying, and Katsui's father was comforting her. His eyes were watery and bloodshot, but he hadn't been crying. 

"How could this happen to her?" her mother asked softly, forcing herself to calm down. "She's always so careful when she's driving." 

"Gomen nasai," Shuichi said as he bowed his head. "This is my fault." 

"Iie. It's not your fault, Shuichi." Her father helped his wife to her feet and began to lead her away from the bed. "We'll let you say your goodbyes now. It'll be easier." 

"Goodbyes?" 

They stopped, and looked away from him. 

"Sumimasen, Shuichi-kun," her mother apologized, walking up to him and placing her hands on his shoulders lightly. "We're taking her to America soon. We've already been told about some doctors there who can be of some service. They said that there's some experimental procedures, and those might help her wake. We have to do all we can." 

Shuichi avoided her glance. "But, why...?" 

"Shuichi-kun, this is best for her. Think of Katsui," her father explained. Shuichi looked down and nodded. "Now, we'll leave. I'm sure you'd like your privacy." 

"Arigatou," Shuichi whispered as they left. 

He turned to Katsui's motionless body which lay on the hospital bed. For a moment he just stood there and listened to the steady beat of the heart monitor. After a moment, he decided to walk towards her. 

"Kone-chan... Honto ni sumimasen. I shouldn't have lied to you... and now look what happened," he said in a trembling voice. "I don't even know if you can hear me. I wish I could have said I'm sorry before... I wish that this didn't happen. I wish I didn't lie..." 

He stopped speaking and placed his hand softly to her cheek. 

"But wishing won't change a thing now. Not a thing." His hand began to tremble and tears swelled in his eyes. "Katsui, why you? Why not me? I lied. I broke your trust. I was wrong. You're always good. A good friend, a good musician. A good everything. I don't want to lose you like this... You're one of my best friends." 

He leaned over and kissed her forehead softly. A tear slipped from his eye and fell upon her cheek. 

"Gomen nasai. Gomen nasai. Gomen nasai. Gomen nasai. Gomen nasai. Gomen nasai. Gomen nasai. Gomen nasai..." he chanted. His legs fell weak beneath him and he collapsed to the floor, sobbing and still chanting. His voice rose slowly, and he began screaming, "GOMEN NASAI, KATSUI! GOMEN NASAI! GOMEN NASAI! GOMEN NASAI! GOMEN NASAI! GOMEN NASAI! GOMEN NASAI! GOMEN NASAI! GOMEN NASAI!" 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

There's quite a few changes in this fanfic that people definitely will notice (who wouldn't?). Now that you've read it, there's a few things to clarify: 

a. Katsui Asakura is completely fictional. She never really existed in the anime, and everything in this fic that involves her was of my own imagination. 

b. This is only the prologue, after all. It will involve more stuff later. This part is supposed to take place a year prior to the anime/manga. 

c. A quick run through of the idea behind the story: Suichi and Hiroshi grew up with Katsui, they were all best friends and band members of Bad Luck. When they finally get signed on, they have a performance, but for whatever reason, Kat declined. Hiroshi and Suichi decided to perform behind her back. Unfortunately, she showed up and was pretty pissed off at them. She takes off, some time passes, and there they are at the hospital. And, yeah, Suichi feels guilty for lying to her and blames what happened to her on himself. 

  
So I think that covers most of it all. I do accept all sorts of criticism. I promise that the fic will follow the general lines of Gravitation, lots of shonen ai and all that happening in the next parts. And don't start telling me to take it down because I'm prety stubborn and will just keep going. Beyond that, I hope it was somewhat enjoyable. And the people who need any more clarification as to what was going on in my head when I was writing this can email me and ask questions. (kohaku_kurasu@hotmail.com) 

And, since some people don't know that much Japanese, here's the translations: 

1. "Koneko-chan": Koneko means kitten. "-chan" is a suffix attached to names, used between good friends. And I'm assuming that I don't really need to tell you all that "Kone-chan" is short for that.   
2. "Shindou**-senpai**": "Elder" Used for someone older than you, and is a mentor, but not a teacher.   
3. "Nani": "What?"   
4. "Dou shita no": "What happened?"   
5. "Nakano**-san**": Used for someone you don't know very well, or to show respect.   
6. "Onei-chan": "Big sister" or "Sister" What a younger sibling calls his/her older sister, 

- Kurasu 


	2. PikaPika, Hikaru

After a break... suffering from writer's block... Change of name... 

To the flamers: Gomen for giving a bad summary. But, when did I ever say that it wasn't canon? Of course, I never said it was either. And besides that, there's no need to freak over the possibility that Shuichi might have been straight once. Yeah, he had to learn to deal with being gay, so that means he didn't know before. 

To shien: Hai, hai. I do understand the importance of canon, and I do have a tendency of breaking up pairs that I don't like, but only if I don't like one of the characters (and I really have to not like them). No, it's not exactly an AU, because it's not an alternate universe situation, but more an alternate plot line/adding in my own plot sort of thing. I did add in a new character, which I never did say was an actual character in the series. (And I hope that clears some of your questions as well, mirai_aria). 

Nico-chan, Ki-chan, it's good to have friends like you two. ^-^ You're always good to bounce ideas off of... of course then you also know what'll happen. But those better have been honest reviews or I'll throw you on the FBS! 

~ Note: All flames will be donated to Nicolaya's FBSA (the _Flaming Bamboo Stick Association for Poor Pyros_) 

Part One :: Pika-Pika, Hikaru! 

----------------------------------- 

"Yuki! Yuki! Yuki! Yuki!" Shuichi screeched as he pounded on the apartment door. Once again Yuki had thrown him outside for being obnoxious. "YukiYukiYuki!!" Gomen nasai!(1)" 

He continued pounding on the door and calling out Yuki's name. There was no answer, and he was sure that Yuki had probably decided to go to bed or work on his newest novel. With that realization, he began to punch the door more slowly until he just settled for bumping his head on the door frame. 

"Yu-uki..." he whimpered. "Don't be so mean to me..." 

He could hear the solid "click" as the door was unlocked from the inside. He snapped upright and jumped back. The door opened slowly. Shuichi bit his lip in anticipation, shifting from foot to foot as Yuki appeared from behind the door. 

He bowed deeply, shutting his eyes tightly and scrunching up his face, awaiting Yuki's words. 

"Gomen nasai." 

"Baka.(2)" 

"Huh?" Shuichi stood up straight again. 

As usual, a cold reply. Was he really that big of an idiot? 

"Honto ni sumimasen(3), Yuki." 

Yuki's right eye twitched and he frowned. Shuichi gave his best smile. 

Yuki didn't say anything to him, and, instead growled and threw Shuichi's coat and shoes at him. Shuichi lost his balance and fell back on his ass. Yuki turned away and slammed the door behind him. Shuichi gasped and threw himself the door. He frantically clawed at the closed, and now re-locked, door, calling desperately for Yuki. 

"Jeez, you're so cruel, Yuki! It's so dark out! You can't leave me out here!" Shuichi complained, watching the door expectantly. There was still nothing. His face fell. "You're not coming back, are you, Yuki? Of course not! YOU'RE ALWAYS SO MEAN TO ME!" 

There was a silence after that as Shuichi resumed staring at the door. Yuki wouldn't be back. He was on his own until morning. IT was the weekly routine. Whenever Shuichi was feeling especially down or annoyed, he ended up annoying Yuki and was kicked out. 

"Fine then, Yuki!" He gathered up his belongings, stopped only to stick his tongue out at the door and stormed off. "At least Hiro will let me stay at his place. I'd get sick out here." 

He grinned, then chuckled. 

"Then when Yuki sees me in the morning he wouldn't really show any remorse to me," Shuichi declared out loud. "He'd just make some smart-assed comment about what an idiot I am for getting myself sick! Then he'd ignore me and go back to work." He paused and grinned. "But if I were really lucky he'd make some sort of a sweet gesture, like taking me in his arms and holding me close... maybe even give me a little kiss! He hasn't done that for a while." 

"Either get on the elevator or move out of the way!" a deep man's voice came from behind him. 

Shuichi looked behind himself slowly to give the man a blank stare. He shook his head and lazily wiped the drool from his mouth. He hadn't even noticed he'd reached the elevator yet, or that he was drooling. He grinned at the man, half apologetically and half like an idiot as he imagined all of the kind and loving things Yuki could do to him. All were pleasing, until the frightful image of Yuki wit ha whip* flashed in his mind. He let out a yelp and jumped out of the man's way. 

"Young man, are you on drugs?" the man asked, eyeing him suspiciously, "And why are you dressed like that? Are you a prostitute?! You'll find you have no business here! Now get lost before I have the manager call the police!" 

"Ee(4)..." Shuichi stared at the man blankly for a moment, before his expression filled with confusion and hurt. "Prostitute?!" 

-- * -- 

"Oh, come on, Shuichi. It couldn't have been that bad," Suguru said softly, sighing heavily. 

All eyes fell on Shuichi. They were at a restaurant: Hiroshi, Suguru, Sakano, K and Shuichi, where he had found them after not being able to get a hold of Hiroshi at his home phone. Now Shuichi was just slumped over his end of the table, sulking like his world was about to end. 

"Don't sulk, Shuichi," Hiroshi told him, nibbling on a stick of Pocky. "It's not like this is the very first time Yuki's ever thrown you out. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that if you go back in an hour that Yuki will probably let you come back in." 

Shuichi tilted his head to look at them all sadly. They were silent and remained focused on the sulking Shuichi. He suddenly perked up, lunged across the table, knocking Sakano and Suguru over in the process, and snatched the chocolate Pocky from Hiroshi's mouth and began to snack on it happily. 

"Hai!(5) Yuki's funny that way!" Shuichi declared, staring at Hiroshi from his spot on the table. Grumbling, Sakano and Suguru pulled themselves up. "He'll be like: "You're such an idiot, Shuichi! But you're so kawaii(6)!!", ne?" 

"Ano...(7)" He received several blank stares. 

"Nee(8), Shindou-kun's(9) acting unusual," Sakano whispered to K. 

K grinned and pulled out him magnum from its holster. 

"Stop these insane mood swings! You're acting like you're on drugs!" 

Shuichi looked over as the gun was pointed at him and whimpered. The other three backed away and sighed heavily. Again with K and his attempt at fixing something with his gun. 

"I'm not a prostitute!" Shuichi screeched with a catty tone. He glared, hissed, then smacked the gun from K's hand and grasped his collar, shaking him roughly. "I'm not! Do you hear me?! I'm not like that! Only Yuki! Yuki! Yu-uki!" 

"If you go around dressed like that, someone might mistake you. Dressed in so little and carrying your shoes and jacket..." Suguru thought out loud. Shuichi stopped shaking K and glared at Suguru. Suguru simply grinned and waved his hands. "Not that you look like you're one, Shuichi. I didn't mean to insinuate that!" 

"I don't even understand what's going on," Sakano sighed. 

"Just look away and pretend you don't know them," Hiroshi advised. 

"Un.(10)" 

They both looked away from the group and hid their faces. 

"So cruel!" Shuichi whimpered, letting go of a confused K and dragging himself back to his original seat. "I'm not even allowed to imagine my kawaii Yuki being kind to me..." 

K blinked. "When did I...?" 

"Shindou-san, you should be more focused," Suguru scolded lightly. "We have a performance tomorrow." 

"You're awfully calm about being this close to a deadline. Especially since we're not too prepared," Sakano observed, taking his seat as K did. "Fujisaki-san?" 

He smiled half-heartedly and rested his chin upon his hands. "It's eating away at me on the inside." 

"Aa, sou desu.(11)" 

"Nee~ miagete~ konna ni hiroi yozora da-kara..." the faint voice reached Shuichi's ears. Someone, a woman, was singing. "Sou~ sugu ni-i wakaru you-ou ni seiippai kagayaku kara hayaku, fu-ru mu-un wo sagashite..."* 

"Masaka...(12)" 

"Oi(13), Shuichi," Hiroshi called out to him. "What's wrong?" 

"Shuichi?" the others questioned when he didn't respond. 

"Iie(14). Nan da(15)," he mumbled, looking to Hiroshi with a strange expression. He smiled brightly. "Nan. Demo. Nai.(16)" 

He blinked as he noticed that they were now staring above him, past him. It took a moment for things to sink in. There was someone standing behind him. Someone with a powerful and somewhat icy demeanor. 

"Yuki?!" Shuichi exclaimed as he spun around in his seat. Yes, it was him. "Yuki, you came... for me...?" 

Yuki looked down at Shuichi with an expression softer than his usual. Shuichi's bottom lip trembled and his eyes shone with tears. Two hours had to have passed, and Yuki had come looking for him. It was the first time Yuki had ever come looking for him after kicking him out. 

Maybe Yuki was finally warming up to him; he was finally opening up to him in public view. His fantasies were coming true. 

"Yuki!" he cried, throwing himself into his koibito. "You came for me, Yuki." 

"Shu-chan," Yuki said softly, wrapping him arms around Shuichi and held him close. "I'm sorry I kicked you out. You're not sick, are you?" 

"Yuki cares for Shuichi," Hiroshi commented quietly. The others leaned back, crossed their arms and nodded in agreement. "He has changed a bit since he returned from America. Though some others things haven't changed." 

There was more nodding. 

"No, Yuki. I'm okay," Shuichi replied. He nuzzled himself into Yuki's warm body. "I just want to go home and go to bed. It's so late." 

"Just don't be late for the performance, Shindou-kun," Sakano warned. 

Once again K had his magnum out and pointed it at Shuichi. 

"You're not going to be late," K said with a smile. "Or I'll be forced to pull the trigger." 

"He won't be late," Yuki promised as he let Shuichi gather his belongings. "He'll even be an hour early." 

Unsure if he was being honest or sarcastic, K said, 

"He'd better." 

"Yuki-san's making a dangerous promise," Suguru pointed out. "K's trigger finger has been a little ichy." 

"Baibai!(17)" Shuichi waved goodbye before dragging Yuki out of the restaurant. 

"What are the odds that he'll keep that promise?" Sakano asked. 

There was a moment of silence before the replied unanimously, "Shuichi. Not too good." 

"Ten dollars says Yuki throws him out sometime in the next two nights." 

-- * -- 

"Doko ni mo, tomaranai~ mitasanai Emotion SHIKATO kimete oikose yo. Furueteru SHAI no sekai no, nuke-michi o neratte, tadoritsuku basho e - I Want New World!!"* 

There wasn't a single empty seat in the audience as Shuichi finished singing the last verse of Rage Beat. Suguru finished off the song with a keyboard solo of his own. The cheers were deafening. There were numerous signs being held up by adoring fans; many for Hiroshi, and some for Suguru and Shuichi. 

"Minna-san(18), arigatou gozaimashita!(19)" Shuichi called as his farewell. He waved to the crowd, as did his band members. Shuichi's face was filled with pure delight as he took in the attention. "Oyasuminasai!(20) 

"Nothing like a crowd full of cute, adoring female fans," Hiroshi calmly declared once they had returned to their dressing room. 

"Oi, wasn't that Ayaka-chan in the audience?" Suguru asked. 

"Un." Hiroshi smiled, thinking of his girlfriend. 

"I didn't see Yuki-san," Suguru pointed out. He sighed and took a seat at the table which stood in the center of the room. "He dropped you off, didn't he? Or did you walk?" 

"Yuki was out there," Shuichi, who had been shockingly silent up until now, replied, taking a gulp from his water bottle, which was filled with cola. "He's just good at going unnoticed by people. I saw him, though." 

"Oh..." 

Hiroshi sighed and took a seat next to Suguru. There was a slight smile on his face as he crossed his arms and stared at Shuichi. 

"Ano... Hiro, what's up with that look?" Shuichi asked, tilting his head to the side. 

"We had a very special guest in the audience today," he said softly. 

"We did?" Suguru sounded confused. "Tohma-san?" 

"Iie." Hiroshi looked down, biting his lip. "She's someone who's a lot more important that Tohma Seguchi." 

"More important than myself?" 

Shock-filled faces turned to stare at The "Tohma Seguchi". He was dressed in his usual and has a bright, mocking smile on his face. Behind him stood Yuki; the sight of his koibito(21) brought a smile to Shuichi's face. 

"Konban wa(22), Yuki!" Shuichi greeted excitedly. He laughed, waved his arms and jumped up and down. "Yuki!" 

"Konban wa, Seguchi-san, Yuki-san," the other two greeted. 

"Don't forget about me!" Noriko demanded playfully, peeking her head from around the corner. "And Ryu-chan too." 

She looked to beside her, where the members of Bad Luck were unable to see. Her mouth dropped open. A mix of shock and rage was in her eyes. 

"Ryuichi Sakuma! Just where do you think you're going?!" she yelled. 

Tohma and Yuki sighed as they entered the room; Noriko took off to find out where Ryuichi had gotten to. Shuichi laughed and ran into Yuki's arms. Tohma took a seat at the table and began to stare intensely at Yuki. 

Hiroshi decided upon striking up a conversation before Shuichi started rambling on about anything that came to mind. 

"So, our next concert is going to be on Saturday?" 

"Sou sa(23)," Tohma said in his soft-spoken voice. "And you'll be having an opening act as well." 

Everyone, including Shuichi, looked over intently. Never before had they had an opening act, nor had it been discussed that one would be. 

"Iya. No opening act," Shuichi said sternly, his eyes stony. Everyone in the room, even Yuki, had expressions of shock upon their faces. Shuichi was the last they'd have suspected to be anti-opening act. 

"Why not?" Suguru questioned. 

"Because I don-" 

"Ano..." a curious voice came from the doorway. 

"Hm?" Everyone looked up at the owner of the voice: a young woman. 

"Konban wa, minna-san," she said softly, then bowed deeply. "Is this the dressing room of Bad Luck?" 

She had a delicate figure. Her eyes were big and blue, her hair oddly died green, then blue and pink at the tips; it was wavy and came down just above her shoulders. She wore a sky blue peasant top with a plunging neckline and a pair of blue jeans, and a simple pair of black runners. 

"That voice..." Shuichi mumbled. He pushed away from Yuki, and, silently, walked up to her. "Omae.(24)" 

"Who is she?" Suguru whispered to Hiroshi. 

"Our special guest," Hiroshi replied. 

"Ee?" 

Shuichi examined her quickly before his face broke out in a wide grin. 

"Kone-chan!" he squealed and tackle-hugged(glomped) her. "Kone-chan! I can't believe it's you!" 

"Ee...?!" she cried. 

"She is..." Hiroshi said as he stood up and walked towards them. Shuichi loosened his grip on her slightly to check out what Hiroshi was doing. "She is..." 

He roughly shoved Shuichi out of the way so that he could examine this young woman. She was younger than then, by at least three years. He pinched her cheeks, then stretched them a few times. His eyes narrowed and he leaned in close. 

She blinked. 

Yuki glared jealously at this girl, though his face was completely emotionless. She just suddenly shows up and Shuichi loses interest in him? Tohma, on the other hand, watched Yuki's confused expression. It had taken the many years of knowing him to be able to see it. 

There was something vaguely familiar about her, but Tohma paid little heed to her. He'd find out her identity soon enough. 

"Not Kone-chan!" Hiroshi suddenly declared, smiling. "She's too young. You're such a baka, Shuichi." 

"Ee?!" Shuichi whined, then pointed at her. "What do you mean 'she's not'?! That's my Kone-chan! I know her!" 

Suguru looked around curiously. "Who's Kone-chan?" 

"Iie. Iie." She smiled. "I'm not Katsui." 

She giggled and the other three exchanged glances once again. Shuichi looked her over again. There was something familiar about her, but, no, this wasn't Katsui Asakura. Just a look-a-like. 

Finally tired of not being answered, Suguru decided to question the stranger himself. 

"Who are you?" 

"Oh, my name is-" 

She'd begun to respond, but the lights failed. Darkness consumed them to the point they could hardly even see a foot in front of them. 

"Black out," Tohma said softly, then stood up. "We should probably stay here. They'll get the power back up soon." 

"Yuki! I'm scared!" Shuichi whimpered, then threw himself in the general direction of his koi. "Hold me!" 

"Ee... Shuichi." 

"Hai, Hiroshi?" 

"Think you could let go of me?" 

"Ara..." Shuichi poked the nose of the man he had a death grip on. "Hiroshi? Why are you here?" 

"You grabbed me." 

The young, still nameless, woman stood at the side without moving. Yuki advanced upon them to possessively steal Shuichi away from Hiroshi. Suguru felt his way through the darkness to find the woman. 

"Chotto(25), who are you?" 

"I'm the keyboardist, guitarist slash lead singer of Element of Fire. We're the opening act on Saturday," she explained. 

His face fell. 

"Being all three... is that actually possible?" he asked. 

"Hai. There's three of us who take turns, depending on the song we're performing." 

"Isn't that a little... chaotic?" 

"No." 

"You're so talented!" Shuichi exclaimed. "Ow! Yuki! Not so tight! Itai!(26)" 

"Ohh... scary darkness!" a raspy voice echoed throughout the halls. "Nee, Ojousan(27), I'm coming for you!" 

She squeaked and grasped onto Suguru's arm. 

"I wonder where Ayaka-chan is," Hiroshi said out loud, ignoring the voice. 

"Yuki! It's a scary voice!" 

"Where did it come from?" Tohma asked, looking for the possible sources of the raspy voice. 

The voice came again, this time louder, closer, bolder and more menacing, though it's words didn't quite match: "Pika-pika, Hikaru-chan! Pika Pika!" 

There was a small click before a small beam of light illuminated both 'Hikaru' and Suguru. 

------------------------------------------ 

Okay, translations: 

1. Gomen nasai: I'm sorry   
2. Baka: Idiot/moron   
3. Honto ni sumimasen: I'm really sorry   
4. Ee: Uh...?/Eh...   
5. Hai: Yeah   
6. Kawaii: cute   
7. Ano: Uh...   
8. Nee: Say/Hey   
9. -kun: a name suffix for males, in this case used because Shuichi's younger than Sakano   
10. Un: Yes/right   
11. Aa, sou desu: Oh, I see   
12. Masaka: Impossible   
13. Oi: Hey   
14. Iie: No.   
15. Nan da: It's nothing   
16. Nan demo nai: It's nothing   
17. Baibai: Good-bye   
18. Minna: Everyone   
19. Arigatou gozaimashita: Thank you   
20. Oyasuminasai: Good night   
21. Koibito: Lover   
22. Konban wa: Good evening   
23. Sou sa: That's right   
24. Omae: You   
25. Chotto: Hey   
26. Itai: It hurts   
27. Ojousan: Young miss 

* Lyrics to New Future (Full Moon wo Sagashite Opening Song) and Rage Beat. 

-- 

I know it's got to be annoying that I put so much Japanese. Gomen-ne, but I'm trying to get better at it and I tend to use fanfiction partly for the purpose of learning proper uses. 

All reviews are welcomed. I'd rather brutal honesty than having it sugar coated. Just have to get used to it. Any questions? Either look up my profile for my email, or put the question in the review. 

Ja ne   
- Nekura 


	3. Meeting New And Old Friends

Well, at least the last part wasn't so bad. The current pairings are as is. Heh, at least in this part you'll understand who is paired with who. And you can't get mad at me because... well, I'll say it in the end. In any case, I hope that this part is enjoyed. All flames will be donated to the _FBSA_. 

This part is dedicated to Nicolaya, who liked the idea 'ever-so' much. 

Part Two: Meeting New And Old Friends 

------------------------------------------------------------------ 

"Allow me to properly introduce myself," Hikaru offered once things had calmed down. 

The group of them, not including K, Sakano and Noriko, were lounging around the dressing room after the electricity had been restored. Hikaru stood near the door, and Ryuichi sat on the ground next to her with Kumagoro in his arms. 

"Watashi wa Asakura Hikaru desu. Hajimemashite, minna-san(1)," she said, smiling and bowing deeply. 

Yuki sat on the opposite side of the room with Shuichi snuggled cutely in his arms. He held onto him possessively, staring down Hikaru even though she wasn't paying much attention to him. Questions danced about his mind, like '_Who is she to Shuichi?_' and '_What was this 'Kone-chan' to Shuichi where suddenly I no longer come first?_' 

"Nee(2), Hiro, Shuichi, how do you guys know one another?" Suguru asked curiously. 

"She's the younger sister of an old friend of ours," Hiroshi explained. "So I don't really see how Shu-chan could have mixed them up. Hikaru's about eight years younger." 

At that, Shuichi fell silent. His face fell and his gaze turned to the floor. It wasn't the fact that he'd mistaken Hikaru for her elder sister, it was Katsui herself that troubled him. But Hikaru looked just like Katsui when he'd last seen her, sort of. The last time he'd seen her before the accident, at least. Her hair was died the same colors and she was wearing the same color eye-contacts. Even in the time that had passed, he refused to forgive himself. He was the one who had lied to Katsui and gone behind her back. Whether it was an actual accident or she'd done it purposely, it was still his fault. 

"Element of Fire... aren't you guys an American band?" Suguru came up with yet another question. 

"Haihai!(3)" She giglged, and slipped down to Ryuichi. "All of us are Japanese-Americans, in one way or another. _We_ moved to America after the accident, and started up the band a short while later." 

"That's where I know you from," Tohma said, resting his chin on his hands. "You're Katsui's younger sister - their backup member. It's good to see you without a camera attached to your face." 

"Mottomo(4). A rare sight," K agreed, nodding once. 

"Oh, you know I think I heard about that on the news. Pretty freak," Noriko connented. "She was lucky." 

"We grew up with both of them, Kat and Hikaru-chan," Hiroshi yawned. "Only I remember you had pretty lavender eyes, not blue like Kat's." 

"You're such a flirt, Hiroshi!" she squealed. 

He grinned at her. "Always fun, kid." 

"From what I heard, it was a strange accident. That girl, Katsui, was driving late at night. It was during that bad storm just the other year. The accident supposedly happened just after the storm ended," Noriko explained loudly. She sighed. "From what the papaers and stuff said, she ended up in a coma and lost an eye. Kinda freaky. No broken bones, almost no bruises or scratches. Just that." 

"Juat?" Suguru laughed half-heartedly. "A coma and an eye?" 

"She got a beautiful voice. Strong but it faulters once she's singing on stage, in public," Tohma stated. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Still, she's rather amazing on the synth either way. She's a key memebr of Element of Fire." 

"She's awake?!" Shuichi perked up, eyes wide. 

"Such high praise, Tohma?" Yuki mocked, pulling Shuichi closer with a growl. "Either you're softening up or you've lost your mind." 

Tohma chuckled softly. "Maa, Yuki, she reminds me of myself at her age. She's very dedicated and talented." 

"Hikaru-chan, why didn't you ever tell me that Kone-chan's awake?!" Shuichi struggled against Yuki's grip, to no avail. "Why didn't you?!" 

Hikaru laughed amd Ryuichi pushed himself to his feet with a wide gron, as if knowing something that the others didn't. He placed Kumagoro atop his head, laughed, then glomped(5) Hikaru. 

"Something's gotten Sakuma-san excited," Suguru observed. He yawned, then glanced towards Hiroshi. "Ayaka-chan hasn't shown up yet? Was she going straight home after the performance?" 

"She seems to have," Hiroshi sighed. "But havin' two cute girls around makes up for her." 

Noriko and Hikaru giggled flirtaciously; Hikaru blushed. 

"Hikaru, why didn't you tell me?!" Shuichi persisted, finally wriggling out of Yuki's grasp and leaping across the table to glare into her face. "Why not?" 

"Shuichi, calm down!" Sakano chided, pulling Shuichi away from Hikaru. He and K were silently watching everyone. 

"Shindou-senpai," she sang. "It wasn't my place. When she woke, she remembered just about everything. She even asked about you, almost right away. When she found out, she'd decided that she wanted to surprise you." 

"How long ago did she wake?" Shuichi asked wit ha hint of sorrow in his voice. 

"Little over four months-" 

"That long ago?!" Shuichi whined. "How... but... why couldn't you just..." 

"Before you freak out over that, Shindou-senpai... that was _after_ the accident," she finished her sentence with a bit of a hiss. "So, it was over a year ago that she woke, almost two." 

"And in your emails... I never guessed. Not once did you even hint to me that she had..." Shuichi mumbled. 

Yuki suddenly pushed himself to his feet with a stern expression; everyone turned to him, surprised by his actions. There was something in his eyes, deep inside, that only Tohma and Shuichi could see, letting them identify his emotion. Both had studied him for hours to be able to see them. 

"Yuki?" Shuichi questioned, stepping back. 

"Let's go home, Shuichi. I have a dealine. I don't have time to waste sitting around this dump," he growled, then walked out of the room without another word. 

The others watched in unsure silence, glancing amongst one another. Ryuichi still hadn't let go of Hikaru and Kumagoro still clung to his head. There was a satisfied glint in Tohma's eyes, and shock written all over Shuichi's face. The others just looked confused or disinterested. Shuichi sighed, then smiled and waved goodbye to everyone in the room. 

He stopped near Hikaru and looked down at her, still smiling happily. 

"I'll see you on Saturday, I guess, Hikaru-chan. Say hi to your sister for me." 

"Un... baibai!" She grinned. 

With that, Shuichi bolted out of the door after Yuki. An eerie silence hung over the occupants of the room for a few minutes after, until Hikaru suddenly leapt to her feet. 

"I should be going too! Ryu-chan! I'll say hi to Onei-chan for you as well?" she offered. 

"Sakuma-san and your sister know one another?" Suguru asked. 

"Oh, yeah. They're close!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "Very clo-" 

"KUMAGORO BEAM!" 

In a flash of pink bunny Hikaru was sent through the wall, and the wall across the hallway. Ryuichi's face had gone a light shade of red as he laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head with his fist. 

"Don't exaggerate, Imouto-chan." 

"heh, Ryu-chan's blushing?" Noriko teased. 

"Am not!" 

"You are so!" She giggled, then turned to Tohma with a grin. "Our Ryu-chan's growing up! He's got a crush!" 

"He's had them before." 

"You're so mean!" 

"I'm keeping Kumagoro now! Minna-san, ja ne!" 

"No!" he screeched, bolting through the hole in the wall and down the hall after her. "Give him back!" 

The others watched in silence, then glanced around knowingly. 

"She's as bad as both of them!" 

-- * -- 

"Yu~ Ki~!" Shuichi called as he hopped after his lover. He laughed and wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. "Yuki, you've been so quiet since we left the others. Is something wrong?" 

They were standing outside of their apartment door. Yuki had the key in the lock but had stopped just short of unlocking the door. Shuichi, ever sensitive to his beloved's needs, decided to give him the biggest hug he could. It wasn;t much, but at least Yuki didn't push him away or give him another talk about PDA. 

"Nan demo nai, Shu-chan. Daijoubu," he assured him, gently placing a hand over Shuichi's. They stood like that a bit longer, and Shuichi held him with all of his might. "Let's just go to bed now." 

"Together? In the same bed?" Shuichi asked, still not letting go of Yuki. 

"Don't be such an idiot. Of course together. Why anyone else?" He sounded a bit offended. 

Shuichi had such skinny arms but a tight grip. He was being silly, wasn't he? Shuichi wouldn't really let go, not emotionally at least. And not for that girl, or for the one he'd thought she was. 

He finally turned the key, listening for the solid click which told him that the door was unlocked. Shuichi still clung to him as they walked inside. No matter what happened, Shuichi would stand at his side. His love was blind. He didn't care about what had happened in the past, or how cold a cruel he could he to him. He knew that he took advantage of the younger man's love, of his dedication to him. No amount of verbal abuse would drive him away. 

The immediate darkness of the apartment was blinding. At least the apartment wasn't cluttered and they walked through safely. The entire time Shuichi didn't let go of him. Though he wouldn't admin it to anyone except for himself, he enjoyed his obnoxious, selfish and needy behaviour. 

"Yuki, you don't seem to be yourself. Did something happen to you earlier?" he questioned. He let go of Yuki and blocked the way to the door. Even in the darkness he could see the shock reflected in Yuki's eyes at his actions. "Yuki, tell me." 

Pushing. Shuchi always pushed for answers. It didn't matter if he wanted to share them or not. He had his resolve to find out more about his love. It had taken a year, if not longer, before he could finally let go of the darkness which had consumed him and he'd actually let in Shuichi. 

"Just trouble writing," he brushed him off. His first instinct. Sure he'd come a long way from the Yuki he was a whle ago, but many of those old habits still remained. "And I'm tired so let me go to bed." 

Shuichi sighed, "Geez, Yuki. Don't be so cold to me. I only want to love the real Eiri." 

"Shuichi..." 

In one swift movement Yuki wrapped his arms around Shuichi and drew him close. He'd always promised himself never to appear vulnerable to him again, but when he saw that woman, everything fell apart. Shuichi's reaction to her was so sudden, so excited... he was jealous of her. Of her older sister whom he'd mistaken her for. Even as he knew how silly he was being over her, that moment when Shuichi pushed away from him his heart skipped a beat, and not in a good way. 

"Suichi, I love you so much..." 

"Yu... Yuki..." he mumbled, returning the embrace. "I love you too." 

-- * -- 

"This way! This way!" Ryuichi laughed as he led the way to the destined concert hall. Tohma, kind as ever, offered them a sneak peak of Element of Fire's opening performance. Both Ryuichi and Shuichi seemed to have more energy than usual. "I can jusr barely hear her voice! She's singing the first song as when we met!" 

"You seem to really like her, Sakuma-san," Suguru noted quietly. He walked alongside Hiroshi, between K and Sakano, and Ryuichi and Shuichi. "Ayaka-chan, it's nice to see you again." 

"Oh, it's nothing, really," she said in a gentle voice, then decided to cling to Hiroshi's arm. "Since I live so far away Hiro-kun and I don't get to spend too much time together, so I come as often as I can. And besides that, I got to see Element of Fire on T.V. once, and they were really good. I think that girl Hiro-kun told me about is the back-up." 

"I haven't seen Ktasui and the others for a while," K mentioned to Sakano. 

"Oh?" 

"Un." He grinned. "Oi, Ryuichi! How long has it been since we last saw them?" 

"Too long!" Ryuichi whined, hugging the life out of poor Kumagoro. "One year, three months and sixteen days, plus!" 

Shuichi watched his idol closely. Ryuichi was probably more excited to see Katsui than he was himself. Not that he could blame him, either. It had been one year longer for him than it had been for Ryuichi, and his heart was racing. For two years he'd kept his thoughts of her in the back of his mind, as did Hiroshi. That night seemed so fuzzy and dark. Everything happened too fast. 

Those were the times when he'd been unsure of himself and what he wanted. But he was sure that he liked her. 

"Nee, Shuichi, Kat really likes you. She's always talking about what great friends you and Hiro and her were," Ryuichi rambled. 

"This job takes you places," Sakano sighed. 

"You mean it?" 

"Don't act so tired, Sakano," K scolded. 

"How did you two meet?" Suguru asked as they came to a stop outside of the door to the concert hall. "You seem like you're pretty close." 

Ryuichi placed Kumagoro on his head, turned around and grinned at the entire group. He bounced from foot to foot and continued his wide grin. Shuichi watched expectantly. He wanted answers, too. Hiroshi wrapped an arm around Ayaka and held her against his side. 

"Tehre was a large benifit concert that both of them performed at," K spoke up after he realized that Ryuichi wouldn't be answering on his own. "He first saw her at their band's practice. She's not the lead singer, but she was singing lead then. Ryuichi couldn't be turned away." 

Ryuichi blushed deeply. He'd admired Katsui when he first met her, and when he found out her band's cause for getting together. And so what if he'd spent a lot of time with her after that? 

"Yuki didn't come because he has another deadline for his novel." Shuichi pouted. "I really wanted him to meet Kone-chan, too." 

"Segushi-san's inside, isn't he?" Sakano asked. 

"I think I can encourage her to sing for tomorrow's performance That girl is going to amaze her Japanese crowd instead of making us all listen to that American boy," K declared, pulling out his magnum for what had to be the hundreth time that day and examined it. "It's so beautiful!" 

Ryuichi bounded through the swinging doors, laughing as he did so, and Shuichi was quick to follow. As soon as he entered the rom he was bombarded by the powerful beat of Shining Collection. They were in the back of the concert hall but the sound was still good. There was a man singing on stage, in what was originally Ryuichi's place when Nittle Grasper first performed it. It felt wierd, to Shuichi, to watch someone else sing a song that was written about him. 

But... 

"Aw, man! That's terrible!" the first words out of Hiroshi in the past hour. "The music rivals Nittle Grasper... but that singer!" 

Noriko and tohma stood a short distance away, also in the back, watching the performance. Both looked over; Noriko smiled but Tohma seemed disappointed. 

"Aki isn't used to singing this quickly," Noriko excused the singer. "He was singing just fine when they did the other song, but now... poor american boy. Not used to singing in Japanese yet." 

"Kat's not singing...?" Ryuichi sounded disappoited. 

Shuichi scanned the stage for Katsui. There were two woman on stage that, form his point of view, looked enough alike to be sisters. One was on the keyboard, that one was definitely Hikaru; the other was the drummer with dyed blond hair with black tips. That confused him. Katsui wasn't a drummer, she was a synth player. The last member on stage could have gone either way, the bass player; 'it' had long, soft pink hair. The singer had short, deep red hair. Each member in the band wore black leather outfits, each different from the other. 

"Ta-iki wa somaru... akaku, nureta yubisaki ni... habatakenu, chou no namida... Subete wa suna-ni aru... Shining, make you cry!"* 

"Ara! There's his wonderful voice!" Ayaka gushed, clapping her hands together. At the slowest part of the song he suddenly picked up. "He really does sound great when he sings at his own pace. Aki Makukishu is such a wonderful singer when it's like that! It's like when he sung Super Drive at the benifit, and when Katsui sung New Future it was magical!" 

"Did you see when we performed together?" Ruichi grinned. 

"That was amazing too!" 

"I missed that performance," Tohma said casually. He watched disinterestedly as the four began to perform Super Drive. 

"Katsui's not at practice today?" Ryuichi sounded disappointed. 

"The one on the druns isn't her?" Shuichi sighed. "I guess that's not like her. She always wanted to be as great a synth player as Nittle Grasper's. But that's not her playing it..." 

"I take one little break and everyone acts like it's end end of the world! It's not like we just started five minutes ago, we've been practicing for hours!" 

"Welcome back, Kat," Noriko greeted. 

"Katsui..." Ryuichi held Kumagoro against his chest. 

"Ryuichi..." she gasped. Her eyes watered. "Ryu-kun!" 

She threw herself to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He returned the actions and rested his hands at the small of her back. The others watched in confusion. The twenty-four year old and thirty year olds shared a sweet, slow kiss between them. 

"They're...?" Shuichi couldn't finish his thought. 

"He never told us?" Noriko pouted. "How rude." 

"He's been so happy to see her and was nervous talking about her the other day," Hiroshi commented, running a hand through his hair. "Somewhat ironic. She with the idol of her old crush." 

"Nani?!" 

"Oh, uh... nothing." 

"No, Hiro! Speak up! I can't hear you past the music!" Shuichi complained. 

"Shuichi, Hiro," Katsui called to them, her face burried in Ryuichi's chest. "Ryuichi and I wanted to surprise everyone, so we waited until now to tell you..." 

"I thought you said she only has one eye?" Suguru questioned, noting something he was sure he'd seen a moment ago. 

She pulled away from Ryuichi and faced them. She had one eye, her left, closed. The scarring around it didn't seem to be very bad, if at all. For that, Shuichi let out a very relieved sigh. Yet, as much as he wanted to run up to her and hug her and tell her how much he missed her, he couldn't bring himself to. She was missing that eye because of him. 

"Katsui, I'm so sorry!" He bowed deeply. 

She brushed the bangs out of her face, giving them a quick view of her face. There was barely even a scar anymore. It almost looked as though the accident had neevr happened. 

"Well, if you hadn't guessed by Ryu-kun's and my 'moment', we're dating." He stood behind her, one of his rare serious expressions on his face as she spoke. "As a parting gift, when he was going to return to Japan, he..." 

She trailed off and bit her bottom lip, blushing deeply. 

"He what?" Shuichi asked after she was quiet a moment too long. 

"He made the sweetest gesture to his loved one that he could," K spoke for her. The others looked to him. He knew. Of course he knew. He _was_ Ryuichi's manager at the time. 

"Either a marriage proposal or love making," Hiroshi said as if it were nothing. 

There was an awkward silence and now both Ryuichi and Katsui were blushing. Tohma and Noriko looked shocked, th others looked uncomfortable, except for Hiroshi, who had mentioned it, and Shuichi had the most unique, indescribable expression planted on his face. 

"Nothing like that at all!" Ryuichi assured them, nuzzling her neck and wrapping his arms around her. "I just offered to pay the medical bills for her surgery." 

"Her surgery?" Tohma blinked. 

"Yeah, the hospital found a match... and with all the advances in technology and all... and in medicinal technology... Surprise." 

She opened her left eye and smiled. 

--------------------------------------------------------------- 

1. watashi wa Asakura Hikaru desu. hajimemashite, minna-san :: I am Hikaru Asakura. It's a pleasure to meet all of you.   
2. nee :: Hey _or_ Say   
3. haihai :: yes, yes ; she's just saying it quickly so it's runs together   
4. mottomo :: indeed ; of course   
5. glomp :: if you didn't know, a glomp is generally defined as a great big hug, usually done out of excitement.   
6. imouto :: little sister   
7. minna-san, ja ne :: See you all later 

-- * Lyrics from Shining Collection 

-- 

Okay, before you decide to write an very angry review about me pairing Ryuichi and Katsui together, keep in mind that he was never paired up with anyone in the series, and well, his 'preference' was never revealed either (unless he's too much in love with Kumagoro, but that's kinda too weird for me). Well, by this point there's supposed to be some confusion, so if you're someone who feels confused, don't worry. 

Maybe people who review can give me ideas as to what they want to happen? I'm pretty flexable (and killing off Katsui isn't an option). Mostly I like angsty stuff *really likes to emotionally torture the characters in her fics*.   
So, until I have the next part done, Ja Ne. 

- Nekura 


End file.
